Sharp County record., 1887-03-17

Al f1A6
though the mountains shake WIFI Vno
swelling thereof Selah." .-..5
Rnt NV text suggests something IN au,
vance of any thing have SAID We nus
all Quit this life. However soVno Jul
health NAV be, it must break doWn' no"
ever oood our title may be 10 houSee'
land and estates. we must surrender thehl'
", will hear voice bidding US away
from all these places. We Will nave u
start on pilgrimage from when We I%n sa.
never come back. We Will nave scen iui
the last time the evening STAR ana WaVCh-
cd the last summer cloud, and tel1 Ine
breath of the spring WINDS 1or tno i%oo ho
time Hands of loved ones may oo
stretched out to hold us back, DuV my
can not-go we must About all oIuel
exits and changes we may trifie, Dut hoS
about this. Stupendous moment VI
life-quitting. Oh, when tne graz
tides of eternity arise about u.s.
and fill the soul and surrounu ~,
and sweep it out toward rapture Vi
woe, ah. that will be "the swelling OF Jor-
DAMP know people sometimes 1 taih
very merrily about the departure l[ont
this life. am very sorry to hear IT, DuO
men do make fun of the passage from one
world to another. Byron joked a grea'
deal about it, but when it came ne snl'-
'ered with horror. Many an ntidel mas
scoffed at the idea of fearing future
world, but lying upon his pillow IN inc
last hour his teeth have chartered WIN
terror. | saw, in Westminster ADDey' an
II, ordered 10 De DuU
upon his tomb:
Life is a jest,
And all things show II.
/ thought so once,
But now l know 1t.
Thought how inapt that, IN place ol
sepulchre, men should try their wtticlsms'
great German having rejected Chrlst,
in his last moment said "Give me llght,
give me lightp' Oh, we may be smart
with our witticism about the last hour;
but when it comes and the tides are rising,
and the surf is beating, and the wlnds are
bowling, we will each one, my 0rethreh,
find for himself that it is "the swelling OF
Jordanp, Our natural courage won't hold
out then. However familiar we may nave
been with scenes of mortality, however
much we may have screwed our courage
up, we want something more than natural
resources. -
When the northeast wind blows of
from the sea of death, it will put
out all earthly lights. The lamp OF
the gospel, God-lighted, is the only
lamp that can stand in that blast. me
weakest arm holding that shall not De
confounded; the strongest one rejoicing
that shall tumble and die. When the Jor-
dan rises in its wrath, the first dash OF lts
wave will swamp them forever we leel
how sad it is for man to attempt TINS HE
without religion. We see what doletul
thing it is for a man to go down into the
misfortunes of life without Christian
solace; but if that be so, how much more
terrible when that man comes face to lace
with the solemnities of the last hourI On,
if in the bright sunshine Of health and
prosperity man felt the need OF some
thing better, how will he feel when the
shadows oflthe last hour gather above hi
prosperity, he was sometimes dismayed,
how will he feel when the last chill creeps
over him2 If while things were compara-
lively SuOOIu nc was uloqulClCu' " HdO
will he do in the agonies Of dissolution'
If, in the land of peace in which thou trusted,
they wearied thee, what wilt thou do amid the
swelling of Jordan?
Oh, rejoice to know that so many Of
Gods children have gone through that
pass without a shudder Some one said
to dying Christian:
- al Go, 70 not oI1t of thiC
worldp
"Oh, no." he says, ''it is easy dying; it
is blessed dying; it is glorious dying"
And then he pointed to a clock on the
wall and said:
'The last two hours in which have been
dying have had more joy than all the
years Of my life"
A general came into the hospital after
the battle, and there were many seriously
wounded, and there was one man dying,
and the General said:
All, my dear fellow, you seem very
much wounded. am afraid you are not
going to get well"
'No," said tho soldier 81 am not going
to get well, but feel very happy"
Oh, / have seen them, and so have you,
go out of this life without tear on their
cheek. There was weeping all around
the room, but no weeping in the bed; the
cheeks were dry. They were not thrown
into darkness; they were lifted up. We
saw the tides rising around them, and the
swelling of the wave. 1t washed them off
from the cares and tolls of life; it washed
them on toward the beach Of heaven.
They waved to US farewell kiss as they
stood on deck, and foated down further
and further, waited by gales from heaven,
until they were lost to our sight-mor-
tality having become Immortality
Life's duty done, as sinks the clay,
Light from its load the spirit flies
While Heaven and earth combine to say,
How blest the righteous when he dies.
What high consolation to you that your
departed friends were not submerged in
the swelling of Jordanl The Israelites
were just as thoroughly alive on the west
ern banks Of the Jordan as they had been
on the eastern banks of the Jordan; and
our departed Christian friends have only
crossed over-not sick, not dead, not ex-
hausted, not extinguished, not blotted out,
but with healthier respiration and stout
er pulses, and keener eyesight, and better
crossed over, their SINS their
physical and mental disquiet, all left
clear this side, an eternally flowing, i'm
passable obstacle between them and all
human and satanic pursuit Crossed over!
Oh, shake hands of congratulation with
all the bereaved in the consideration that
nj =.